Fate or choice
by Sesshomaru'sSapphireMaiden
Summary: The cake shop romance of doom.


Some say that there's such a thing as fate. An unstoppable course of events by which a person will complete their purpose.

Some say that for every choice you make you create a different reality for yourself. That each way your life could turn has its own world and that we live each one as a dream we are unaware of. All of them create a different person and shapes differently the people around you and therefore each world is affected by each other.  
Some say that the choices we make form us and that we create our own paths through life.

Which is true? What if they all are. Let's examine a few of Ianto Jones' choices.

The first choice was not to fight with Lisa. Ianto's job search began the first time he was shot. It wasn't his idea that torchwood wasn't for him but he respected Lisa, if it were her with a bullet hole in her gut he'd like to think she'd have left the job too. In fact, he very much wished she had. Lisa's argument was that she was trained for the field and that Ianto was not. Ianto had assured her that he doubted aliens (who's language was not in the torchwood com data base) holding up the archives department demanding that torchwood hand over the toy they'd dropped on earth would be a frequent happening but she was firm, once was enough. And so it all began. First he took a job at a library. The job seemed perfect, it didn't pay that well but he was good at it and with Lisa working for torchwood they still had a plentiful double income. This job came to an end when he would find himself reading the books he meant to be shelving and would check out too many books and forget to return them on time. He decided to spare the rest of the staff frustration and turn in his resignation form. In his parents house, being inactive was frown down upon and Ianto found himself doing quite a bit of baking in his unemployment. It was at Christmas when Lisa's mother praised the pie unashamedly and suggested the idea of a bakery that Ianto once more joined the working world.

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The first time Ianto saw the man, they were in London. It was frequently said that people came from kilometers around for the coffee made in his shop, however the human imagination was not designed to comprehend exactly how many kilometers Jack Harkness had come.

He was with another man when he first strode into the bakery. He was tall, and well built, blue, playful eyes looked him head from toe as he approached the table. His companion was short, had wiry brown hair and shifty eyes that seemed to be lovingly trained on the other man when they weren't scanning the horizon for trouble.

Mina was having her day off meaning Ianto had to take care of the customers and the kitchen. Luckily it was the middle of a Wednesday, Wednesdays were always slow. They were the only ones in the shop at the time. The man that Ianto would come to know as Jack in the distant future, asked for coffee and a muffin. The other man asked for black coffee and a toffee eclair.

As Ianto took their order he got the impression that the two were trying to blend in. At least the shorter man, the taller seemed to have no problem with being the center of attention.

"Slow day?" Tall blue eyed man asked as Ianto brought their order on a tray.

"Well, it would appear you've caught me in a bit of a lull yes. May I ask what brings you to my humble facility on this day?" Ianto was very much hoping that they were not using his bakery as a drop off point but very much getting that impression from the shorter man.

"We heard people come very great distances for this coffee," he took a sip then added, "I'm not disappointed." His eyes cast a roving flicker over Ianto.

Ianto, pleased his reputation was wide spread asked, "Exactly how far have you come?"

The two men looked at each other and began to laugh.

The next time Ianto saw Jack Harkness, they were in Cardiff. Ianto had set up shop back in Wales after CaneryWarff in search of a plan. He'd fled London after wards when the entire city became a reminder of what he had lost. He needed to start clean and returning to the country of his birth seemed like a good idea. He had needed to escape the city and now he needed to save up for Lisa, he wasn't sure what he would be able to do but he would be prepared for it. This meant working harder. He'd never in all his life been a slacker but now the Bakery was larger, it couldn't be called /large/ but it was more than Ianto was used to. He had two more people helping him now and had added tailoring to the list of services he could supply. Work all day in the kitchen and take home mending that customers left with him. There was a small studio in back of the dining room where he could take measurements during his lunch hour for other customers.

It was once more a slow day and once more one of his employees was off. Harkness was alone this time and didn't look him over when he approached the table. The man seemed quite caught up in his thoughts this time.

"I never forget a face," Ianto said, ready to take his order, the man looked up and scanned Ianto the way he had the last time, "But names are another story."

Ianto was offered a playful smile as the man extended his hand "Jack Harkness. I'm not so good about faces but I think I would remember yours."

Ianto let himself smile, he was used to such a comment from middle aged women but it was rather disconcerting from this man.

He ordered coffee and a muffin.

Ianto was taking care of one last customer before he closed shop for the night when the chimes above the door alerted him that he would have to deal with one more person before he could go home and attend to the pile of ripped clothing he'd been left with. As he finished writing down measurements he told the woman that he'd have the dress made by Monday.

He watched her leave before his eyes rested on Jack Harkness. His eyes were the same playful blue they were the day they'd met.

"Should have known it was you." Ianto sighed.

"Do all your regulars keep you up at night?"

"No, only the ones that mysteriously show up and run half way through their pastries."

"Hey, saving the worlds a tough gig. You don't always have the time to enjoy your own life."

"Oh is that what you're doing? I thought you'd be running off to destroy it."

"What gave you that idea? If I were running off to destroy the world it would long ago be destroyed.

Ianto shrugged, "A hunch, I figured you weren't the efficient type. What can I get you tonight?"

"Need you ask? And FYI, I am more efficient than a Dalek playing lasar tag."

Ianto turned sharp, "What?"

"I meant a packrat in a jewlery store."

Ianto gave Harkness the eyebrow, "In what feilds?"

"Oh, wouldn't you like to know."

Ianto raised a brow, "You want coffee at this time of night?"

Jack nodded smiling as if there was nothing weird at all about caffeine at bed time.

"Decafe?" Ianto asked, still assuming he was missing something.

Jacks brow furrowed and he assumed a stern frown, "No."

Ianto gave Jack a skeptical look and turned to get coffee and a muffin. Coming back he set the food before Jack and sat down across from him.

"So, what's the world need saving from?"

"It varies," Jack replied through a mouthful of muffin, "You look like you could use some coffee yourself."

Ianto looked at Jack studiously, "It's not good to drink coffee at night."

"Obviously you don't work where I work."

Ianto looked around the room and then back at Jack, "Obviously. Unless of coarse your stalking me for the government."

Jack smiled, "Would the govenment be interested in stalking you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know."

Jack grinned and inserted the rest of the muffin into his mouth.

Ianto frown at Jack. "I make better things than muffins you know."

"Perhaps I'll try something new one day."

Ianto nodded, glad to have made his point, it was always a game with this man.

"But then, I've got plenty of time to enjoy the things that make me happy. Even when I've got to run off and save the world before I finish them."

"You don't have forever," Ianto said, his tone playful.

"I do." Jack returned Ianto's smile with a look of thought, as if he was wondering what something was like.

Always a game, Ianto thought. "So say you do have forever to enjoy muffins. I don't. I won't be making pastries for all of eternity. I've got so many varieties already."

Jack's expression was sorrowful, "It gets to me that I have to live my life at the same pace as everyone else just because they'll be leaving so soon."

His words sounded sincere and Ianto felt a pang of fear run up his spine. Jack had just let down his guard and somehow this scared him.

"Silly isn't it?"

The wall had come back up and Ianto felt fear swallowed by remorse. He hadn't had sufficient time to explore what was behind the wall and that saddened him. In an attempt to bring the wall back down he pursued the subject.

"So you're the everlasting guardian of the earth who likes to eat muffins and flirt with humble wait-people and bakers?"

"Wouldn't that make an interesting personal ad?" Jack said wondering what type of response he'd get.

Ianto quirked an eyebrow and bit back a very awkward comment.

Jack looked back into Ianto's eyes and smirked, "You're right, I don't need personal ads."

Ianto blushed and in an attempt to spare himself commented, "Don't forget to add telepathic, that's got to be appealing on some level."

Jack raised his brows as if to ask if Ianto was too shy to directly ask for a piece of the everlasting, muffin consuming, telepathic earth defending, flirtatious hunk.

Ianto's cheeks colors when an unbidden thought entered his brain: The eyes, forgot to mention the eyes.

_What is wrong with me? _

Jack reached to his ear, there was a soft buzzing noise and Jack listened a moment.

"The world needs saving, got to run," he said, then poured the remaining coffee into his mouth and stood up.

"Good luck with that." Ianto said.

Jack turned back at the door and smiled, "Thanks, Muffin."

Ianto blushed and stared as Jack broke into a run through the night, his lovely coat flapping behind him as he reached a large black SUV that was surprisingly familiar to Ianto's eyes.

"So that's what he does…." Ianto thought out loud, the puzzle pieces fell silently into place as he watched the SUV speed away and out of sight, the light catching on the back window illuminating the large letters for a moment. Torchwood hid in the open.

Ianto smiled. As far as Jack was concerned Ianto had no way of hacking into the most well guarded data base possibly, in the world. Little did he know Ianto had memorized each password like his phone number and had come up with about half the programming. He prided himself that he'd remembered all of it after so many years.

Really the system was horribly complicated and it took three hours for him to slip undetected into Cardiff bay's system. He pulled profiles on all of them. A messily four members manned this rift observatory. They had a medic, technician, field agent and Jack who apparently was in charge. He'd been right. Though what else could one be doing but working at Torchwood when they said they were saving the world? Honestly, Jack was no environmentalist.

If nothing else having a good relationship with the head of the local Institute could be helpful. He exited the site making sure to leave no stone turned for Sato to find. From her bio she had quite a reputation. He turned the computer off and turned to Lisa. Her eyes were like glass as they stared lifelessly at the ceiling, her body was stiff and cool to the touch. She wouldn't be like this for long. He'd finally found a solution, they would have their lives back.

It was early morning and Ianto and Christy were the only one's there, they had come in early for it was their turn to do the prep work before the store had opened. Ianto was humming softly while filling the éclairs.

"Wonderful," Christy muttered putting a pan of sticky buns in the oven, "I'm working for a morning person. Aren't you supposed to be the resident rain cloud?"

Ianto smiled and shrugged off the comment. "Let's say things are looking up."

She grumbled something and mixed the glaze for the baklava.

The chimes over the door sounded and Ianto looked up, "Well, look what the cat's dragged in."

"Good morning to you too Ianto Jones." Jack said leaning against the door frame grinning.

"And what am I, chopped liver?" Christy inquired from the oven.

"How could I forget /you/? Are we still on for running away together on your next day off?" Jack asked teasingly.

"In your dreams, Captain." Christy said setting a mug of steaming coffee in Jack's favorite booth, which was currently unoccupied.

"The muffins are from yesterday, haven't had time to make them yet." Ianto said from behind the display case, over a tray of chocolate cherry torts.

"Not a problem," Jack said over his mug.

Ianto took a cranberry muffin from the basket and walked around the counter to set it in front of Jack. "Perhaps this is none of my business but wouldn't running away with my employee put a tamper on your ability to save the world?"

"Oh, would you prefer I run away with you, Ianto?" Jack teased.

"As long as the sticky buns don't burn and the world doesn't randomly detonate I've no complaints for either of you."

"He's just shy," Christy assured Jack.

Jack raised a brow and replied, "Perhaps he is but that still wasn't a no."

Ianto ignored the comment and turned away from Jack to frown at his two other employees who were just slinking in ten minutes late.

It was two hours later that the first of the "search party" came in. A tall, sort of prickly man who didn't look like he'd had a good day in a good long while. Ianto recognized him from the Cardiff bay staff bio as Owen Harper, the medic. He strode up to the counter and Ianto greeted him with a sweet smile.

"Coffee," the man unceremoniously demanded. When Ianto had gotten that for him, he took a sip and proceeded, "Have you seen a man with brown hair, gray coat, uh, you look like his type, probably called you something indecent?"

Ianto blinked, "Jack was here this morning, haven't seen him since."

The man pursed his lips, "Any idea where he went?"

"No, 'fraid not."

"Thanks anyway."

The man left and the day returned to normal until a small Asian woman came in, she looked around then trotted up to the counter and smiled, "Excuse me," Sato said.

Ianto, as discreetly as possible did a double take, looked like all of torchwood three were going to become his customers. He turned from his pan of Danishes and smiled, "May I help you?"

"Have you seen a tall man in a coat, probably harassed every one in the shop?"

Ianto nodded and added, "He and the man looking for him both left."

"Oh," She bit her lip and turned to the display case, eyeing it as if it were forbidden.

"Tosh!" Another woman came in, her frizzy hair pulled back from an irritated face.

Yes indeed, now every member of torchwood three had set foot in his shop, it was a bit nerve racking.

"Oh, he's not here either."

"Than what are you still doing here?" Suzie Costello asked of Toshiko Sato, in a would be angry voice if she had not been distracted by the Danishes.

"They all look so good…"

The other woman came to stand beside her, "You're right, we ought to buy something for giving them all this trouble," She said, eyes trained on the Danishes behind Ianto. "Did those just come out of the oven?"

Ianto nodded.

"One of those," She said, "And coffee."

Sato ordered a chocolate croissant and coffee, then the two disappeared into a black SUV parked outside.

That night as Ianto was closing shop the chimes sounded. He didn't even have to look.

"I like it when you pull a disappearing act, it's good for business."

Jack laughed. Ianto turned around and shut the refrigerator door, Jack was sitting in his favorite booth looking out the window.

"One muffin left today, I suppose you'll want it?"

Jack turned his head and looked at Ianto in a way that made blood rush in his head. "I hear good things about your croissants." His voice was smooth and his eyes were still trained on Ianto with an expression containing affection, lust and danger.

"I was going to take the last one home… I could split it with you." Ianto said, filling his own voice with the same emotions.

Jack grinned.

It had been quite a while since Ianto had shared a pastry with someone in a moon lit café. It was nice.

"You look tired." He told Jack.

"So do you."

Ianto stretched, "You could say that again and my day isn't even over."

Jack looked out the window and Ianto felt silly knowing that when one works for the Institute one's day is never over.

Jack's blue eyes met his head on, "Let me walk you home."

Ianto frown at the suggestion but quickly forgot about it.

"Your bleeding!"

Jack looked down, "Sorry about that." He wiped the blood off the table with a napkin and then used it to staunch the bleeding of his arm.

"There's a first aid kit in the bathroom," Ianto said getting up.

"Ianto. I'm fine." His eyes were calm as he said this and for some odd reason Ianto believed him.

"Let me walk you home."

Ianto nodded.

Jack had watched Ianto bleach the table and close shop then took his arm and they headed for Ianto's flat. Jack wasn't his usual playful self as they walked through the dark street. He was quiet and watchful, as if he was waiting for something.

Ianto had to admit he was a bit rattled, first the wound which seemed to have disappeared of its own accord and now the silence. There was something strange about this man, strange and fascinating, perhaps even dangerous.

"Jack?"

Jack turned his head to regard Ianto.

"Talk to me. I haven't been this freaked out since walking home from Alien with my girlfriend in high school."

Jack smiled wryly, "You have a girl friend now?"

'_Wow, there's a very complicated answer that goes with that question…For the time being though…'_

"No," Ianto said. Then proceeded to wonder why he hadn't said yes. Yes was the technically correct answer wasn't it?

Ianto continued to wonder about his given answer until Jacks grip tightened and he was pulled to a stop. A very low rumbling growl reached his ears.

"Jack, what's that?"

"Shhhh."

Jack pulled him around the far side of the building they were passing, Ianto caught sight of a hunched form down the ally. Jack pulled him the other way and walked quickly. Ianto saw four more of the hunched figures the way they'd just come. His heart was starting to speed up. He wasn't even sure where they were going now, the creatures were following them. They loped like apes, grunting. One broke out in a forceful run, the others following suit. Jack sped up pulling Ianto with him. Ianto had broken out in a cold sweat as they ran full speed into an abysmal darkness. The creatures were gaining on them and something sparked in Ianto's memory. One of them got very, very close. Jack stopped and Ianto slowed and turned around, Jack shoved him forward.

"Run!"

Ianto did, he ran as fast as he could but Jack didn't come after. He had no idea where he was going. He stopped, was that /gun fire/?

Jack appeared in five minutes running faster than before

"I told you to run idjit!

Jack pushed him as they ran. Ianto was truly lost as he was pulled around corners and buildings. They very nearly ran directly into one of the creatures. Jack, much to Ianto's surprise pulled out a revolver and shot it, they continued the current course stepping over the howling thing.

OK, Weevils were significantly more frightening when you were running away from them than when you were logging information about their species and updating their appearances and attacks. Ianto thought.

Jack slowed down in front of a house and Ianto, bewildered, realized it was his. They quickly got inside.

Ianto needed to act as a person who had no idea what a weevil was would act.

"What was that Jack?"

Jack pulled him close and he felt his cheeks redden.

"It's OK," he breathed in Ianto's ear, then held him at arms length, "You're not hurt?"

Ianto ran a quick damage assessment then shook his head. He noticed blood trickling down Jack's face, "You need to take care of that."

"I'm fine."

Ianto was beginning to resent that answer. He then realized that he had a very bad situation on his hands, both Lisa, his semi converted girlfriend, potentially capable of mass destruction of the human race, and Jack, head of torchwood three, need he say more, were in his house at the same time. He couldn't send Jack back out there but he also couldn't let him stay here the night.

"You should be safe by tomorrow, they're nocturnal any how so you shouldn't have trouble getting to work, take your car this time though." Jack was reaching for the door handle.

"Wait! You can't go back out!" _can't stay here either but…_

"I'll be OK."

"No you'll get yourself killed!" His mouth was really working against him right now.

Jack smiled, "I wouldn't worry about it Muffin." Jack lowered his mouth to Ianto's. Time stopped.

During this time Ianto's thought process went a little something like this:

_Wait! LisaLisaLisaLisa!!!!!!!_

_Oh SHUT UP!_

_But…_

_SHUT UP!_

Jack released Ianto and left. Ianto slumped against the door. He stared at the wall for a few minutes putting the day in order.

"Well," He said out loud, "That was weird."

Suddenly a very disturbing thought occurred to him. "How the hell did he find my house?"

The next day Ianto was torn, Lisa's regeneration was going to begin tomorrow. He'd found someone who could help her and he was glad he'd been saving every penny he could, the professor was flying across seas which made the price of his service some what unreasonable. On the other hand Jack, who usually came in around opening time didn't show up that day at all. Ianto waited for him. He had a pile of mending and two suits to make but he kept the shop open for fifteen minutes past closing time. He hadn't seen Jacks body lying in the streets when he drove to work, then again weevils tended to drag their victims back to the sewers if possible.

_Stop worrying, Jack is part of Torchwood; he's been trained for danger, just like Lisa. He's fine._

Ianto walked in. His house needed cleaning but that had to wait. He sat down on the bed and watched Lisa, she was as still as always but he knew she would be moving, living, laughing again soon. He stroked her seemingly lifeless cheek and smiled.

"Soon," he breathed, then took his sewing kit off the bed side table and began to work.

Ianto walked to work that day, he missed the walk and hadn't seen any weevils last night. Dan was already there, putting things in the oven and prepping the kitchen. They smiled at each other and went on with work.

It was ten thirty when Christy came into the back, Ianto was watching dishes.

"Do you mind telling Harkness to lay off the staff?" She asked setting down several pans.

Ianto's eyes widened, "Excuse me."

Sure enough Jack Harkness was sitting in his favorite booth looking out the window. Ianto grabbed the coffee pot and approached the table.

Jack grinned at him, "I told you not to worry didn't I?"

Ianto poured him coffee, "I'm not sure if you've observed that much human behavior but generally putting 'don't' before something is like putting /emphasis/ on it." Ianto said curtly.

Jack chuckled. "Still like it when I pull a disappearing act?"

_Only if you take me with you._

Ianto was amazed by himself, how could he feel so strongly for a practically perfect stranger.

_Thoughts come unbidden._ He told himself, then, "Having anything besides coffee today?"

"What's the special?"

"Chocolate berry mouse pie."

Jack's eyes lit up.

Ianto was walking home briskly, he'd met the professor that morning before work and apparently all had gone well. He opened the door to his flat and for the first time in years saw her smiling face.

Lisa was weak, she could hardly stand on her own and something seemed different, but how could that matter? She was alive again. They were both alive again.

Jack didn't come in until late that night just before closing. Ianto couldn't place it and therefore ignored the darkness behind Jacks eyes. He seemed more serious than before but Ianto was too consumed in happiness to notice. Jack had kissed him once; he would have no trouble breaking it off with him. Lisa was alive.

"Ianto, Ianto?"

He raised his head realizing Jack was trying to communicate with him.

"What?"

"Let me walk you home."

Ianto frown, that wouldn't work. He couldn't have come this far to end up having Jack find him out.

"I'll be fine tonight, you don't have to worry."

"Ianto." Jack's tone was some how threatening.

Well, just because Jack walked him home didn't mean Jack had to come inside. He nodded, "Just let me close shop."

The walk was quieter than the last one, Jack didn't appear to be scanning the streets for weevils but he didn't look at Ianto either. He didn't offer him his arm or any contact at all.

"Jack?"

Jack looked down at Ianto, his eye's cool and no longer playful.

"My house is a wreck so I'm not going to let you in."

Jack opened his mouth as if to say something but shut it firmly and nodded.

They reached Ianto's flat unscathed by monsters.

"Thank you Jack, looks like I was in no danger this time," Ianto teased.

Jack looked pained and didn't move from the door step.

"I told you it's a mess, you can't come in."

"Ianto, I know what you've been hiding."

The words dropped on Ianto like rain drops of molten metal. He stared.

"The device your…assistant used to produce energy to keep her alive during the operation used rift energy. We picked up the trail and tracked it here."

Ianto stared, scared, terrified, motionless.

Jack took a step towards him and Ianto pulled the gun from his back, he'd never wanted to use the damned thing.

"You don't want to do that. Ianto, look at me."

He was too shocked to cry, to shocked to do anything but obey.

"Give me the gun."

Ianto didn't hand it over but he didn't stop Jack from taking it. How had this happened?

Jack pinned him to the door, he was warm and strong and ironically comforting. "You can start over Muffin. You're sweet and you work too hard, you're not going to have any trouble finding someone to belong to." Jack's words momentarily tore Ianto's mind from the current situation,_ Find? Don't the two of us…? _Ianto's heart tore like cotton, how could he think of it? Now of all times? Perhaps because the situation was to horrific and unfathomable to comprehend, that, Ianto told himself, was why he could think of something, someone other than Lisa.

"You can work for me too. If you want. You don't have to leave your bakery but the door's open." Jack continued.

"No!" Ianto sobbed, his shoulders shook but some how he didn't feel it, he didn't feel anything but Jack's weight. That couldn't be right.

"I know it hurts, but you'll make it. You'll see the sun again."

Ianto wept. He couldn't do anything. Jack's face was so close to his.

Their second kiss was like the first and yet completely different. It took Ianto a moment to realize what was going on before he struggled angrily. He shoved at Jack's shoulders and pounded what ever he could reach. He tried to tear his face away from Jacks but Jack was stronger and held him. He didn't' have a choice in the matter. He swallowed. Jack let him go.

"You bastard!"

Jack took the key and opened the door, "I'm sorry Ianto, really I am." He carried Ianto fighting to the bed room and put him on the bed. He held him down by his wrists. Ianto panicked, Lisa was gone.

"It won't hurt as much this way."

Ianto continued to fight.

"I'm sorry." Jack kissed his forehead and he went still.

Some people were very susceptible to the sedative in retcon pills, let Jack think he was one of them. He let his breathing slow and his eyes close while adrenaline rose inside him.

He felt Jack's hands loosen on his wrists, "I'm sorry Muffin."

He counted to ten after the door shut and then sat up. The blood rushed from his head and he swooned. He stumbled to the bathroom, shut his eyes and put his finger down his throat.

He staggered back to the bed room and sat down. He had to think. If the drug was still in his system he couldn't drive and there was very little possibility he could find a Torchwood base on foot. He didn't know where Lisa was and if he hadn't gotten the drug out of his system he would wake up with an incredible gap in his memory. He hadn't updated his diary in a month, there hadn't been time. That had to come first.

Jack hadn't heard a sound until the safety was turned off. He turned around slowly keeping his hands where who ever was holding the gun that was undoubtedly pointed at his head could see them. Surprise was his initial reaction as he faced Ianto Jones.

"I can't wait to hear this one." Jack said.

Ianto cocked a brow.

"Jack," a woman shouted from the second level, "Someone's completely messed up the main computer system, the programming has been changed and I don't know what the machines are doing!"

"Well, that explains why no alarms went off."

The woman, Sato, gasped and Ianto heard her cock a gun above him. Well, now they both had hostages. He wasn't really sure he could shoot Jack, he most certainly didn't want to, he however had no doubt that the Sato would shoot him. He heard two other tiny clicks from behind and above him, looked like that would be Harper and Castello joining them.

"So," Jack started. Ianto thought he would be addressing him but instead directed the next words at his team, "Nobody noticed him getting in?"

There was no reply from any of the three officers.

"He's good." Jack commented, "I'm really dieing to hear this one though. Did you take retcon in small doses so as to become immune to it?" There was a playful edge in Jacks voice.

"Maybe you won't ever know," Ianto snapped. He didn't really feel like telling the three strangers, let alone Jack that he'd made himself puke.

"Isn't that the tea boy from the bakery?" Harper asked incredulously.

"Owen shut up."

"What the hell have you done with her?" Ianto snapped. It wasn't right that he didn't' feel the words. He ought to more than anything but it hurt more that Jack had assaulted him, not that Lisa was in danger. That shouldn't bother him at all. It shouldn't make him more upset than loosing what he'd lived for for the past year. He wasn't supposed to feel hurt for himself, not now. It was wrong. It was all completely wrong.

Jack looked uncomfortable. Ianto repeated the question through gritted teeth.

"Suzie, please tell Ianto what happened to the cyber woman."

There was an awkward sort of silence before she began; she phrased it like a report which made Ianto's gut turn.

"The Cyber woman was incinerated."

Now Ianto felt it, cold dread and disgust quickly followed by terror and screaming sadness.

"The conversion unit was melted down to scrap mettle and the Japanese professor retconed and sent home."

Then came the hopeless hole in his heart. It hit Ianto like the first and only bullet that had ever hit him. Ianto didn't hear the words. He told himself he didn't, it was too horrible to be real. She was gone but she couldn't be, he'd seen her the day before, smiling. They had talked for the first time in what seemed to be years. She had come back…After so long, she'd been gone so long, she had finely come back to him and now she was swept from him like dust in a river.

"Ianto," the voice was soft and sorry. Ianto gripped his gun hard to stop the incredible fire that had suddenly built inside him from emerging through the finger that loosely touched the trigger.

"You're not going to shoot me."

"I wouldn't be so confident of that," his own voice seemed unreal.

"There's only one reason you wouldn't shoot me and it's the same reason I didn't send you to a UNIT prison when I found out you were housing a weapon that could destroy the human race!" Jack's voice had risen to a yell by the time he'd finished.

"I'm going to fix the computer," Sato's voice was quiet and horse as she said this and Ianto saw a look of remorse pass over Jack's face.

If having only two guns pointing at his head instead of three was supposed to be any condolence, it wasn't. Jack was right though, he couldn't shoot him.

The gun made a splash as it landed in a puddle. Jack was coming closer and the two remaining members of Torchwood three seemed to be leaving the room. Tears were rolling down his face but he wasn't sure why, they could be there for a lot of reasons but he was numb inside. He wasn't sure he felt any of what he had a minute ago. No hate or love for either of them. He seemed to watch his emotions spill as a disembodied, unthinking mind. He could have been anywhere, he could have been dead. He was so free and miserable. Shock was the first thing that seemed to bring him down. The first blow to his stomach. The second was loss the next hopelessness. The hurt was for both of them, for loss and betrayal. He was helpless and lost and at the mercy of torchwood.

Every one seemed affected by the cloud of misery Ianto brought to work the next day. He held it in, didn't let is show but it still seemed to be emitting from his very presence. Torchwood had let him off. He was no longer dangerous and they no longer had an interest in him.

What really got to him was that he had to leave again. Cardiff was now London. It would haunt him. He couldn't go back to London either, he had to start completely clean. Maybe he could just give up, disappear.

He was surprised when Jack came in. He didn't feel anything towards the tall man in the grey coat who had eyes like a pre-pollution ocean. He was simply surprised he'd had the nerve to make an appearance. He would let Christy take care of him, he most certainly wasn't going to.

Ianto had retreated to the back to knead the batches of setting dough when Christy came over.

"Chin up, some one wants to talk to you."

"You could tell the Captain that not every one has time to be toyed with."

"Oh Ianto, every one's got time to be toyed with by a man with eyes like that."

Ianto hated the fact that despite the whole ordeal, he agreed.

Coffee pot in hand he approached Jacks table. He painted his mask on the entire ten steps it took to get around the counter but it fell right off when Jack looked at him. Nope. No courtesy for this bastard.

"So, you go about destroying people's lives and then you don't go away. Is this an old hobby or am I just special?"

Jack's face was perfectly serious. Ianto knew that if he didn't get that miserable concern off his face in the next sentence he was going to have a lot of trouble restraining himself from pouring scalding hot French roast in his lap.

"Ianto, we need to talk."

Still wearing that expression. Yes, he would scald that beautiful face and get sued. Happily ever after.

"Look, I know-"

Ianto refused to listen, Jack Harkness was about to be wearing his favorite beverage, he was really going to do it. Nothing either of them could do could change that he was about to dump a liter of burning hot liquid over Jack Harkness and he was going to enjoy doing it.

"Ianto?..."

Damn it. He'd caught on. Well, at least he didn't look so serious and concerned anymore. The conceited bastard, walking into his shop after yesterday, demanding to speak to him while wearing that expression took an ego the size of India…Maybe, Pluto…maybe Jupiter.

Would it really have mattered what kind of face Jack wore? If he'd come in with that playful smile he'd have been sick, he'd probably have thrown a chair at him. If he'd come in and not looked at him at all it would have torn him apart. Wouldn't it?

"You really aren't listening to me at all are you?"

Ianto looked down at Jack, "No, what tipped you off?"

"Ianto-"

"Get out."

That is what Jack Harkness did. The day didn't improve, how could it?

Ianto walked home in the dark. It wasn't really home anymore, no one would be waiting, not even the lifeless doll that had been waiting faithfully, helplessly for him for a year and a half. Nothing but bittersweet memories of something that could no longer fill space. She couldn't fill anything anymore, not even the hope she had before. All she could do now was open holes.

Maybe the weevils would be waiting for him, if not the bay wasn't too far. Yes, maybe he wouldn't go home at all.

He thought about weevils, it would be a nasty way to go, he'd seen the bodies, filed the cases away, revised records to fit some phenomena other than, but very much alike to being eaten by an alien. Jack would have to clean it all up too. He smiled at that thought, a little parting gift to you. He felt suddenly sick, like he would cry again. That wasn't what he wanted. He sobbed, no one was waiting for him now, nobody.

Some one was waiting. Possibly the one person Ianto did not want to see. He walked past head down.

"Ianto!"

"Jack, if you don't stop following me I'm liable to take an electric egg beater to your skull."

"I told you we need to talk."

Ianto stopped and faced him, pretending he wasn't ashamed of the tears running down his face, "About what?! What the hell could you say to change anything? Don't you have some freak alien to be patronizing!? Some one other than me?!"

"I can't say anything," Jack was holding him now, his voice soft in Ianto's ear. "But I can still help."

Ianto wept. It was wrong, having his arms around Jack Harkness at a time like this, crying on someone he decidedly hated. Wrong.

His was shaking, crying like a child. Pathetic, but he couldn't stop, the dam had broken.

Jack's words were soft, his voice was pacifying and careful.

"I know, you don't want to be loved right now. You don't think you should be allowed to give or receive love anymore. You don't think there could possibly be anyone like her, not in the entire world, and there isn't. Even if there was you couldn't love them the same way, you can't love anyone the same way twice. And I know you think if you can't love like that then you can't love at all, but there's some one still crying for help, some one kind enough to need you. You'll see all the little things no one else does, all the beautiful things they're hiding. They'll see all the things about you you never knew existed."

Ianto had calmed down by now, his shaking had stopped. His face was cold but his body was warm.

"Tell me about her…him." Ianto wasn't worried about Jack comprehending his request. He didn't care that he'd just asked a very private question, he hardly cared he was hugging some one who'd taken part in destroying Lisa.

He felt Jack's chest swell with air as he pondered the question, he seemed to subtly stiffen.

"There's more than one."

Ianto felt the flames rising once more, he shoved away from Jack. For all his pretty words he didn't understand.

"Go to hell."

He stormed back to his flat. He wondered if he'd ever met someone who he felt so bizarrely about as Jack, he managed to twist his emotions like a cat playing with string. He took his coat off and threw it, he felt only slightly childish in doing so, it wasn't breakable or anything.

As he went to pick it up a folded, blue post it note fell out of the right pocket. He picked it up and read it.

_Call me Muffin. ___

Underneath the words was a phone number. Ianto ground his teeth, the smiley face really got to him.

Jack was surprised Ianto called, at least that he called so soon. That was his number on the screen wasn't it? He answered.

"Hey Muffin."

"…You know my number?"

"This is Torchwood babe, I have your number on speed dial."

Ianto scowled, "I've got something for you."

"Hopefully it's not a bullet to the head or a kick in the groin," Jack said, seemingly cheerful.

"It did cross my mind but no. After I get off, outside my bakery."

Ianto hung up.

"Nice hearing your voice too," Jack said with a smile.

Ianto watched Jack appear out of the darkness, his coat flapping behind his unnaturally silent steps. He couldn't help but feel an odd sort of dread, yes he'd called Jack and it was his idea to meet but he was still unsure about what he felt for Jack. He was a conceited bastard who killed Lisa and had beautiful eyes, warm arms and a kind heart. Very much mixed emotions.

Jack was close now, "So, may I ask to what I owe the pleasure of being summoned by the beautiful Ianto Jones?"

Ianto smiled dryly as Jack stopped in front of him. He pressed the chocolate bar against Jack's chest and met his eyes teasingly. Jack took the bar and looked at Ianto questioningly. He examined it then looked back at Ianto, who could hardly keep from smiling. He'd removed the outer wrapping so the tinfoil was all that covered the chocolate.

"This is very sweet," Jack said toying with foil, "May I?"

Ianto smiled sweetly, "By all means."

Jack folded back the foil and took a bite. Ianto grinned at his expression.

"Sweet indeed." Jack choked.

"Bakers Chocolate, unsweetened."

Jack swallowed managing not to cringe, "You called me just to give me nasty chocolate?"

There was nothing accusatory in Jack's voice when he said this, Ianto liked that.

"Don't flatter yourself, it's for Myfanwy."

Jack looked skeptical.

The ware house was huge and old making the dinosaur perched in the rafters very easy to miss, it had looked like a gargoyle until it dove at them.

"How did you find it?" Jack asked from the cover of an elk decoy that had been stored at the far side of the warehouse.

Ianto yelled from the opposite wall behind a large roll of Astroturf, "She found me. I lured her off my roof into here so no one would see her."

"How did you manage that without being ripped to shreds?"

"She likes bakers chocolate."

Jack rolled his eyes, he wished Ianto had given him a warning so he could have gotten something with which to contain a dinosaur from the Hub.

Ianto was throwing the pterodactyl little pieces of chocolate and slowly came out from behind the Astroturf. Jack saw a coil of rope in the corner and quietly made for it. He could hardly believe that Ianto had the damned thing eating out of his hand by now, he was murmuring to it softly.

_Lucky damned dinosaur. _

Jack snuck up on it as quietly as he could. If he wanted to he could evade human hearing. He was none to sure about dinosaur hearing though. He needed to get the wings contained so it couldn't beat the hell out of them, it could probably still tear them apart with it's beak but there wasn't much he could do about that now.

Ianto wasn't sure what had happened, he was running towards Jack, Myfanwy had flown back to the rafters angrily screeching. Jack was sprawled on the floor, his head was bleeding, Ianto was panicking. He had scarcely made it to Jack when he sat up. He gasped and grabbed onto Ianto. Ianto was very, very confused. He tried to find the source of blood but Jack seemed unscathed. Jack's hand stroked his cheek.

"Muffin, I need you to go get more chocolate. Can you do that?"

Ianto nodded still confused, Jack was getting up as if concussions were no big deal.

"Ianto, go, I'll be fine."

He did, he ran back to the bakery still trying to comprehend what was going on. When he returned, arms full of unsweetened chocolate Jack was standing outside the warehouse waiting for him.

"Looks like we didn't need that," Jack said with a smile, putting one arm around Ianto.

"Wh-how, what?"

Jack smiled, "I called my elves."

Ianto assumed he meant the other members of torchwood three.

"Is, she alright?"

"You're worried about the dinosaur?"

Ianot nodded.

"Yes, the pterodactyl is fine."

Ianto was quiet, still trying to figure it all out.

"Jack,"

"Hmm?"

"You, your head. You…"

Jack took a breath, "I can't die."

Ianto stopped and looked at him.

"I can't die, I don't know why, I don't know how but I can't."

Ianto stared, his brain was hurting.

"That's why there's more than one," Jack whispered, he enfolded Ianto in his arms again.

Ianto decided to stop trying to come up with a logical expiation for this and leaned against Jack, he couldn't really hold him seeing as his arms were full of chocolate.

Ianto suddenly felt the impact of the statement, he felt a warped sort of emotion. If Jack couldn't die he couldn't loose him, but if Jack couldn't die it meant he'd had suffered this pain over and over again, loosing someone you held dear…Again and again. He felt tears running down his face again, he knew why he was crying this time. He didn't want to hurt someone that much, ever.

"Ianto?"

"Yes Jack?"

"I want you to work for me. I can take care of you."

Ianto thought for a moment, "I promised Lisa I wouldn't get killed working for Torchwood."

Jack brought Ianto closer, "I can help you keep that promise."

Ianto looked up at Jack, "That would make it your fault if I did die, I don't want to do that to you."

Jack laughed, "I wouldn't worry about it Muffin."

Ianto was quite for a moment, "Let me think on this one."

Rain was gently falling now, it was that time of year. They made their way back to the bakery and Jack watched Ianto put away the chocolate. Ianto came back around the counter and stood before Jack. Jack brushed water off of Ianto's brow and pulled him close. Ianto kissed him, his hand running down Jacks back. Ianto had been completely disoriented for their first kiss, drugged and assaulted for the second but the third was perfect. He felt his back pressed up against the display case.

He broke the kiss, "Jack, you are not screwing me against my display case."

Jack let him go and they both stood locked in an awkward kind of moment.

Ianto broke the silence, "Let's go back to my place."

Jack grinned.

The two men ran faster than if they'd been chased by flesh eating, sewer dwelling humanoids through the now heavy rain.

And they lived happily (some of the time,) ever (well, really only until Ianto dies,) –Oh screw it, it's A.R anyway!

And they lived happily ever after!


End file.
